Many foreign visitors to China often confuse the Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam. Both are major hydropower projects on the Yangtze River, but they differ greatly in location, scale, and purpose. This guide breaks down their key differences clearly.
Location Difference: Where Are They?
Both dams are in Yichang City, Hubei Province, but they are in different sections of the Yangtze River:
- Three Gorges Dam: Located in Sandouping Town, Yiling District. It sits in the middle of Xiling Gorge (upper reaches of the Yangtze), about 40 kilometers from downtown Yichang.
- Gezhouba Dam: Located 2.3 kilometers downstream of Nanjin Pass, Xiling District. It is at the end of the Three Gorges section, with a straight-line distance of about 38 kilometers from the Three Gorges Dam.
Core Differences: Construction, Scale & Function
1. Construction Background
- Gezhouba Dam: Started in 1971 and fully completed in 1988. It was China’s first large hydropower station on the main stream of the Yangtze River, serving as a "test dam" for the Three Gorges Project to accumulate technical experience.
- Three Gorges Dam: Officially started in 1994 and fully completed in 2006. It is the world’s largest concrete gravity dam, representing the highest level of China’s water conservancy technology.
2. Project Scale
Dam Parameters
- Gezhouba Dam: A low-head sluice dam with a maximum height of 47 meters and a total storage capacity of 1.58 billion cubic meters.
- Three Gorges Dam: 185 meters high, with a total storage capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters. Its flood control capacity accounts for 56% (22.15 billion cubic meters).
Power Generation Capacity
- Gezhouba Dam: Total installed capacity of 2.715 million kilowatts, with an annual power generation of about 15.7 billion kWh.
- Three Gorges Dam: Installed capacity of 22.4 million kilowatts, with an annual power generation of over 100 billion kWh — more than 6 times that of Gezhouba.
Ship Lock Design
- Gezhouba Dam: Uses a single-stage ship lock, capable of passing 10,000-ton fleets.
- Three Gorges Dam: Due to a 175-meter water level drop, it has a five-stage ship lock and a ship lift system to facilitate navigation.
3. Core Functions
- Gezhouba Dam: Focuses on power generation and improving local waterways. It stabilizes the water level downstream of the Three Gorges Dam through re-regulation to ensure navigation safety.
- Three Gorges Dam: Takes flood control as its core task, capable of resisting once-in-a-century floods. It also integrates power generation, navigation (improving the 600-kilometer waterway from Chongqing to Yichang), and water resource allocation.
How Do They Work Together?
The two dams form a cascading development system on the Yangtze River:
- Gezhouba acts as a "re-regulation dam" for the Three Gorges Dam, balancing water flow fluctuations after power generation and ensuring stable downstream navigation.
- Gezhouba provided key technical reserves for the Three Gorges Project (such as large ship lock construction and resettlement experience), while the Three Gorges Dam further promoted China’s hydropower technology to a leading position in the world.
Conclusion
The Three Gorges Dam and Gezhouba Dam are two independent water conservancy projects with significant differences in location, scale, and function. However, through their collaborative effect, they jointly improve the flood control, power generation, and navigation capabilities of the Yangtze River Basin.
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